Andrea and Joe Henry of DeWitt, Iowa,were thrilled when they learned that Andreawas pregnant with the couple's second child.Her pregnancy and delivery of son Jaxon hadgone well, so the Henrys expected smoothsailing as they prepared for a new addition tothe family.But a routine ultrasound exam at week10 of Andrea's pregnancy brought startlingnews: The unborn baby's diaphragm had notformed completely. The defect, known as adiaphragmatic hernia, allowed the baby'sintestines and stomach to enter the chest cavity,thereby preventing the lungs from developingproperly. It was a life-threatening condition."The diagnosis was completelyunexpected," Andrea says. "We were shocked."Given that Andrea's pregnancy was highrisk, her obstetrician referred her to Universityof Iowa Children's Hospital for the remainderof her term. Over the 2007 Labor Day weekend,Lilah Henry was born."She valiantly took a little breath, andthat was it," Andrea recalls, "so the doctorswhisked here away to the NICU (NeonatalIntensive Care Unit) where they attemptedto get her to breath on her own."Baby Lilah struggled, however. Doctorsquickly inserted a breathing tube and placedLilah in a medically induced coma. Unfortunately,that wasn't enough because her lungswere so poorly developed. Lilah's only chanceof survival was ECMO, a heart/lung bypassmachine. She was surgically connected toan ECMO—the only such system available inIowa—for seven days, until her lungs werestrong enough to supply oxygen to her body.While Lilah was still critically ill, pediatricsurgeons were able to repair the diaphragmatichernia and realign the abdominal organs.The surgery was a success, and afterseveral weeks of recovery, Lilah went home—albeit with a feeding tube, heart monitor, andoxygen-supply system. But these eventuallybecame less necessary, and over the next twoyears, Lilah thrived.In March 2009, however, the toddlerre-herniated her diaphragm when the syntheticmaterial used in the first operation gave way.Lilah returned to the UI for surgery. This time,the diaphragm repair surgery was complicatedby a bowel obstruction, a serious respiratoryvirus, and fluid in her lungs. At one point, Lilahwent into "code blue"—cardiac arrest."That was incredibly scary," Andrea says,"I thought we weren't going to leave the hospitalwith her."Lilah's hospital stay lasted nearly amonth, but thanks to the round-the-clock careof her medical team, and the wonderful spiritof her family, Lilah overcame the challenges.Her second hernia repair was a success, andover time she regained her strength. Today,Lilah is a vibrant 3-year-old with no physicallimitations.Without UI Children's Hospital, "wewouldn't have a daughter," Andrea says. "Iwouldn't go anywhere else. They were amazing,caring, compassionate, wonderful people.""You'd think nothing ever happened toher," adds Joe, who beams when describingwalks in the park or games with his daughter.It's both a sign of gratitude and proof thatLilah's future is bright.